Belkin’s Valet Charge Power Pair – For Apple Watch and iPhone

You could make the case that finding an easy way to charge both your iPhone and your Apple Watch is the kind of first world problem that hardly rises to the level of a real issue. But if you have both, you know this is real issue. But Belkin has a pair of products that will handle both the watch and the phone when you are either home or away.

Charge at Home – Belkin moved early to create device that would charge both an iPhone and an Apple Watch. The Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone has an elegant industrial design. It has a flat base, a lightning input, an adjustable lightning plug, and a simple arm that extends to cradle, support, and charge the watch.

There are several reasons to like the Valet. It cuts down on wires, letting you charge both devices with a single lightning cord. You can stop worrying about misplacing that unique magnetic charger for the Apple Watch. You can throw away your clunky alarm clock and keep your iPhone by your bedside, using one of various night clock apps to let you know the time. Price is $130.

Charge on the Road – Belkin Valet Charger™ Power Pack 6700 mAh for Apple Watch + iPhone – I don’t travel as much as I used to, but when I do hit the road, I always debate which of my watches to take along. Because of the Apple Watch’s notoriously short battery life, I’ve shied away from traveling with it simply because I feared it would run out of juice. I also didn’t enjoy having to carry the Watch’s long charging cord since it took up space and could not be used with other products. Belkin’s slick solution for those of us who travel with both iPhone and Apple Watch is the Valet Charger Power Pack. It is fundamentally a power pack, and a large one at that, with benefits. And the major benefit is a magnetic circle where you can charge your Apple Watch. It has a standard USB output which will let you charge your iPhone with a lightning cable or any other device that takes USB. You charge the power bank with a micro-USB connector. With 6700 mAh, it has enough juice for several watch and iPhone charges. Again, one reason I like it is because it will allow me to keep the night clock on my iPhone and charge my watch at the same time. And while it’s slightly bulky for a power bank, it’s still easy enough to drop in my backpack in case I need an extra charge. Price is $100.

Neither of these products are cheap. But they do a necessary job, they do it well, and they do it elegantly. Both products have simplified my life and made it easier to deal with the Apple ecosystem.

Gary is an award-winning journalist who has been covering technology since IBM introduced its first personal computer in 1981. Beginning at NBC News, then at ABC News, Ziff Davis, CNN, and Fox Business Network. Kaye has a history of “firsts”. He was the first to bring a network television crew to the Comdex Computer Show, the first technology producer on ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, the first to produce live coverage of the Solar Power International Conference, and the creator of the Fox Business Network signature series, “Three Days In The Valley”. Along the way he created the History Channel Multimedia Classroom. He has been a contributor to both AARP’s website and to AARP radio, as well as to a handful of other print and web-based publications where he specializes in issues involving boomers/seniors and technology. He has been a featured speaker and moderator at industry events such as the Silvers Summit and Lifelong Tech Conferences at CES, the M-Enabling Health Summit, and the What’s Next Baby Boomer Business Summit. His column, “Technology Through Our Eyes” appears in half a dozen newspapers and websites across the country.